Irish immigration advocates join the fight for reform

Ireland’s ambassador to the United States, Anne Anderson, is raising the battle cry for Irish immigration advocates to join the fight for immigration reform. She estimated at a luncheon for Irish American business owners that roughly 50,000 undocumented Irish immigrants currently live in the U.S. Anderson explained that while the majority of these immigrants are employed, pay taxes and follow the letter of the law, many of them live in fear of deportation, and cannot leave the U.S. to visit Ireland for family events because of the risk that they would not be allowed to return.

The way the U.S. visa system is set up makes it hard for Irish immigrants to obtain the employment visas they need to work legally in the U.S. The visa allocation system is more than 50 years old, and only provides a small number of visas to immigrants coming from Ireland, because that country has seen so much of its population emigrate to the U.S. Anderson’s argument echoes that of other immigration reform advocates in that she supports a legal pathway for immigration to gain citizenship.

In 2008 a financial crisis in Ireland crippled its banking system and reduced the amount of available jobs for Irish workers, which led many Irish citizens to come to the U.S. in search of work. While Anderson expressed the wish that the immigrants could find work in their native country, she also referenced the fact that many current American CEOs are of Irish descent. At the luncheon for Irish-American business owners, Anderson pleaded, “We have to get this thing moving again. Explain to your member of Congress that this immigration issue wears an Irish face. We have been waiting for a long time.”

Post navigation

We are not a law firm, and this site and our software are not a substitute for the advice of a lawyer and do not contain or constitute legal advice. We are not affiliated with or sponsored by the United States government or any government agency. This site provides general information on some commonly encountered immigration matters only and was created to allow you to more simply navigate your completion of immigration paperwork using online software. The content on this site should not be relied on to reach conclusions about any person's specific situation. Self-help software and customer support services are provided solely at a user's direction. Customer support is for technical and billing issues only and will not answer legal questions. We do not provide legal advice, opinions, or recommendations about any individual's specific legal rights, remedies, defenses, options, or strategies. We do not make form recommendations or recommend or provide answers to specific questions on forms, and communications between you and us are not protected by any privilege. Purchase prices do not include applicable government agency filing or biometrics fees, if any. The forms that can be completed using our software can be obtained for free from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as blank forms with written instructions. Automated eligibility quizzes were created using instructions, rules and regulations published by the USCIS and only indicate whether you meet minimum eligibility requirements to apply for the given immigration benefit. Quiz results do not guarantee eligibility or ineligibility as you may or may not be eligible based on reasons not addressed in the quizzes. Your access to and use of this site, including any purchase, is subject to and constitutes your agreement to the website Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Refunds will only be issued if requested within thirty (30) days and before completed application is printed. Exceptions and restrictions may apply; see Refund Policy for details.